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The Denver Nuggets still have plenty of work to do this offseason, with just a slew of minor moves headlining their summer so far. Three weeks into July, the Nuggets have re-signed Tyus Jones, while bringing in former second-overall pick Marvin Bagley III, EuroLeague Best Defender winner Alpha Diallo, and rookies Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins.
Obviously, it has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Nuggets, and with training camp about two months out, here are some burning questions for Denver:
What will happen with the RFAs?
The Nuggets' offseason has been slowed down by the restricted free agent market. Peyton Watson, 23, is coming off a breakout year, raising his price tag. Spencer Jones, 25, went from a two-way to a standard contract for the Nuggets last season, emerging as a valuable 3-and-D-type player. So, what will happen with Denver's restricted free agents?
Watson is expected to come back. While there has been some speculation about a potential sign-and-trade to find him a new home, it has been made well known that the Nuggets want him back. It might cost them a contract worth around $25 million per year, which would also send them into the second apron, but we should expect to see Watson return.
Jones is in a much different situation. Sure, he would be a much cheaper signee, but he is also much more replaceable. When the Nuggets signed Alpha Diallo, he was viewed as Jones's replacement and is still a fraction of the price. While that might not be the case, it should not be shocking if the Nuggets let Jones walk.
Why is their biggest roster need still unaddressed?
After the season ended, the Nuggets made it clear that they must address their need for extra ball-handling this offseason. How have they followed up on that promise? By declining Jalen Pickett's team option and re-signing Tyus Jones. That's it.
The Nuggets have completely failed to add more ball-handling, and if they do not do so soon, it will come back to bite them. But what has been the hold-up? Granted, there is a scarce selection of point guards in free agency, but they need to find solutions somewhere.
While they have yet to address this need, there is still time. Some notable free agents left on the market are Gabe Vincent, Aaron Holiday, Brandon Williams, and Cam Thomas. They also have the option to bring back Bruce Brown, which certainly would not be a surprising move.
As it stands, their backcourt only consists of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, and two-way KJ Simpson. There is no question they still need help.
Should we be happy about the new additions?
Of course, we can keep talking about who the Nuggets haven't signed, but let's focus on whether their actual additions are successful. Overall, it is obvious that the Nuggets have had an unsuccessful offseason. There is still time for them to change that, but in their defense, it is hard to be upset with the signings they have made.
Marvin Bagley III is the most notable signing by Denver, as the eight-year veteran and former second-overall pick should be able to make an impact for the Nuggets. Bagley is someone who can either play alongside Nikola Jokic at the power forward position or relieve him as a backup center, and the Nuggets need that kind of experienced versatility in their frontcourt. It will be intriguing to see how he does, but he has shown enough through his several NBA seasons to get excited about this.
Alpha Diallo is certainly a bigger question mark, as the 29-year-old has yet to play an NBA game. However, if his defensive prowess translates from the EuroLeague to the NBA, then he will be a great addition for Denver. The Nuggets desperately need more defensive-minded role players, and they got just that in Diallo.
Rookies Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins both showed out in the Summer League and should both be valuable additions for the Nuggets' forward room. It never hurts to have forward depth, especially coming in the form of two athletic, versatile guys in Brazile and Hopkins. After what we saw in Summer League, I'm excited to get more from these two.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/nuggets/onsi as Burning Questions for Nuggets Amid Quiet 2026 Free Agency.
